Kurtatsch, Südtirol Pinot Grigio

There are two languages in various places on this label: The Südtirol, or “South Tyrol,” is also known as Alto Adige in Italian, and Kurtatsch is the German name for the town of Cortaccia, where this cooperative winery is located. This is a German-speaking enclave of Italy, where vineyards grow in the shadow of the Dolomites, in cavernous valleys carved by the Adige and Isarco Rivers. This is where you find serious whites from the Pinot Grigio—a deeply misunderstood variety capable of producing wines with substance and character. Sourced from high-elevation vineyards in soils of limestone and gravel, this is loaded with white peach and yellow apple fruit, along with a saline minerality. Unoaked, but aged on its lees in tank for 5 months to lend creaminess.